BPM’s Holiday Gift Guide

Mott The Hoople get the archival treatment in this new DVD, out now. A feature-length documentary that “tells the tale of this most humble of rock groups through a stunning combination of rare and unseen archive footage and the testimonies of band members Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen, Dale ‘Buffin’ Griffin, Ariel Bender and Morgan Fisher, plus numerous other associates and witnesses including Mick Jones of The Clash, Queen’s Roger Taylor and fan club president Kris Needs.” Plus, the sleeve notes are penned by none other than Morrissey. Perfect for the music fan who has it all. We are pretty sure they don’t have this.

Michigan band Breathe Owl Breathe are offering something different for the holidays in the form of a children’s book/7″. Titled The Listeners / These Train Tracks, this intersection of art, literature, and music is the culmination of three years of work, featuring two stories in a single canvas-covered volume that reads from the outside covers inward, ending at the center. In the middle of The Listeners / These Train Tracks, slipped between a copper block printed sleeve, are two new Breathe Owl Breathe songs pressed to black 70 gram 7″ vinyl. We’ve included one of these songs below for you to check out, and you can see images from the book here. If you have any little ones running around or are simply young at heart, you might not find a better holiday treasure. It will be available on December 6th via RAD Records.

Some people don’t just listen to music, they make music. And, L.A. band Fol Chen and Monome have teamed to create a new device that the musician in your family is sure to enjoy. What exactly is is? Well, in the words of Monome, it is “a hand-held tangible electronic sound toy. Circuits enclosed by a wooden tetrahedron detect orientation and motion-gestures to modify the playback of a collection of Fol Chen’s micro-compositions, allowing the user to explore sound through physical manipulation. The battery-powered device has its own internal speaker but can additionally be hooked up to a headphone or amplifier. The circuit and firmware are based on open-source hardware and is itself published as open-source, allowing anyone interested to learn about its deepest inner-workings.” You will not be limited to working with the pre-loaded sounds of Fol Chen, you can upload your own noise as well.

Where do they sell this? You can get it from The Machine Project, right here.

Spotify Membership

One of the big talks in the music world this year has been Spotify’s triumphant move to U.S service. And, as many of you know, the basic Spotify service is free with an invite. This alone is pretty awesome, but there is also an unlimmited and a premium service that up the bet, all for just a few bucks a month. With the unlimited service, you wipe out those annoying advertisements that clutter basic Spotify. With the premium service, you can listen to your music offline, get a higher quality of music stream, and play music on your mobile devices.

Where do I sign up? You can upgrade your Spotify, or the Spotify of a loved one, right here.

Stones Throw Records Sweatshirts and Hoodies

Sometimes it’s nice to represent the music you love by literally wearing it on your sleeve. Sure, you can buy band t-shirts, but they’re normally rather cheap and you’re only representing one artist! By buying a label’s apparel you’re representing a whole roster and a state of mind. Stones Throw have a collection of extremely well-made, hand-sewn hoodies and sweatshirts for men and woman which have just been released and would make a great and practical gift.

I’ve been to the Third Man Record’s shop in Nashville, Tennessee and the entire place isn’t much bigger than your bedroom, but within its four walls exists the densest collection of cool shit imagineable. And, while the music is of high quality and collectibility, it is some of the novelties that could make someone’s Christmas really special. Check out the compact turntable below, which allows you to listen to vinyl on the fly wherever you go. Also available are items ranging from branded headphones to a vinyl cleaning kit. The point of all these seeming to be that Third Man Records isn’t just about what you listen to, but also about how you listen.